Capreolus Damson Eau de Vie Gin
Capreolus · Capreolus Distillery
Barney Wilczak's one-man distillery applies the logic of eau de vie — capture fruit in its purest form — to gin production. The result is a gin with unusual depth and texture, where the base spirit is a feature, not an afterthought. Distinctive without being eccentric.
Nose
Juniper leads cleanly, with a piney, resinous character that is quickly joined by orris root and a delicate floral rose note. Fresh coriander seed provides a citrusy-spice counterpoint, while violet and a whisper of angelica add depth.
Palate
Full and textured for a gin, with waxy juniper and lavender unfolding alongside a subtle almond sweetness. The damson plum eau de vie base gives a distinctive fruity underpinning that enriches the botanical profile without sweetening it. Peppery warmth and lemon zest emerge midpalate.
Finish
Long and clean, with lingering juniper, orris root, and a gentle violet fade. The fruit character of the base spirit appears as a ghost note at the very end.
- Style
- Distilled Dry Gin
- Botanicals
- Juniper, coriander seed, orris root, angelica root, violet, lemon peel, lavender, rose petal
- Base Spirit
- Damson plum eau de vie
- Distillation
- Single-shot distillation on a 100-liter Holstein copper still
Cocktail Suggestion
Cotswold Vesper — 2 oz Capreolus Damson Eau de Vie Gin · 0.5 oz dry vermouth · 0.25 oz Lillet Blanc · Stir with ice, strain into a chilled Nick & Nora, express lemon peel.
Food Pairing
The gin's floral and herbal complexity partners beautifully with tangy goat cheese, while lavender honey bridges the botanical profile and the slight fruitiness of the damson base spirit.
Barney Wilczak runs Capreolus Distillery alone from a small workshop in the Cotswolds, using a tiny 100-liter Holstein still to produce gins with bases of fruit eau de vie rather than neutral grain spirit.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Capreolus Garden Tiger Gin
Capreolus
Capreolus is best known for their fruit eau de vie, and that distiller's discipline shows in their gin work. Every botanical is articulated rather than blurred. Garden Tiger is a gin that rewards the attentive palate — each sip reveals a new layer without ever feeling cluttered.
Capreolus Pear Eau de Vie Gin
Capreolus
Barney Wilczak's Capreolus Distillery is known for its obsessive approach to fruit spirits, and this gin applies that precision to a juniper-forward framework. The pear eau de vie base is the differentiator — it gives the gin a textural richness and aromatic complexity that grain-based spirits rarely achieve. An exceptional gin for contemplative sipping or a refined Martini.
Capreolus Raspberry Eau de Vie Gin
Capreolus
Barrie Lancaster's eau de vie background shows in every sip — this is a gin that understands distillation as an act of capture, not construction. The space between the floral top notes and the woody juniper base is wide and elegant, each element articulated with rare clarity.
Capreolus Garden Swift Gin
Capreolus Distillery
Capreolus is better known for its eau de vie work, and that fruit distillation expertise shows in how cleanly each botanical is rendered here. Garden Swift doesn't chase novelty — it pursues clarity. A gin that trusts juniper to lead and lets supporting botanicals earn their place.
St. George Dry Rye Reposado Gin
St. George Spirits
St. George's barrel-aged rye gin sits at the crossroads of whiskey and gin, using fire twice — once to dry-roast botanicals, once through barrel maturation. The result is a gin with structure and warmth that holds up beautifully in stirred cocktails where a London Dry would feel thin. A bridge bottle for whiskey lovers exploring gin.
Beefeater Burrough's Reserve Oak Rested Gin
Beefeater
Master Distiller Desmond Payne's vision of what happens when the spirit meets the cask is brought to vivid life in Burrough's Reserve Oak Rested. Rested in hand-selected Jean de Lillet oak casks — previously used to age the storied French aperitif — this gin embodies the issue's theme at its most literal: the barrel's inner skin imparts golden color, vanilla richness, and a gentle tannic framework without ever eclipsing the juniper-forward London Dry character. It occupies a fascinating middle ground between gin and aged spirit, rewarding both neat sipping and barrel-aged cocktails.
Bols Genever Barrel Aged 18 Month
Bols
A masterclass in patience applied to the gin family tree. Where most gins celebrate the instant brightness of distillation, Bols Barrel Aged 18 Month embraces the slow alchemy of oak and time. The result is a spirit that bridges the worlds of aged whiskey and botanical distillate — furnace-forged grain spirit tempered into something deeply contemplative. Perfectly aligned with "The Furnace of Patience," this genever proves that even the juniper berry bows to time's authority.
Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla Gin
Tanqueray
Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla takes the classic London dry structure and overlays it with actual Seville orange botanicals, creating a gin that bridges tradition and accessibility. The bitterness of the orange is key — this is not a sweetened citrus gin but a genuine botanical expression. A versatile bottle for cocktails and a solid G&T anchor.